Gambling hurts and helps sports

by Paul Shugar
THE POST

Ahhh, Sunday, I'm going to sit down with a calzone, an ice-cold beverage and a few friends to watch some football.

Holy boring Batman!

The-Couchless-and-no-offense Cleveland Browns are taking on the all-we-can-do-is-run Cincinnati Bengals. Outside of Ohio few people are tuning in to watch this game.

"Maybe TNT has a classic movie on for us to watch," I say reaching for the remote.

"Wait!" someone yells.

I turn, stunned, to get an explanation.

"I have to see how Corey Dillon does," one friend says. "If he gets enough points today he will carry me to victory in fantasy football and clinch me a playoff birth. So much money is on him today for me."

I cannot believe I am saying this either, but this is exactly why gambling is good for the sporting world. A lot of people tune in when they have money on an event.

I have to struggle to name friends who are not in $50 to $100 fantasy football seasons or do not make a bet of some kind every weekend on some weak line or sure thing.

I logged on to a sports-gambling Web page right before the Super Bowl last year and you could bet on anything that you could possibly imagine, from who would catch the first pass to who would sack the quarterback first to how many times he would get sacked.

Sports gambling is huge, and it is not going away anytime soon. No matter how much sport officials say it is bad, they need it.

People tune in to games of teams they do not like because they want to see how a player they have money on is going to do. I cannot remember how many times my dad, the anti-sport watcher of the world, tuned in to watch the Super Bowl to see if he would win in his office pool.

Gambling, of course, is not all good for sports as Pete Rose, the Black Sox Scandal and other point shaving controversies show.

We want our sports to be pure contests as pictures of Vince Lombardi and Babe Ruth of the golden age of sports dance through our heads.

Of course there are die-hard sports fans out there who are always cheering for their favorite team, but when games come on that they don't really care about, that is gambling's job - to pull in these people.

Anyone can love just watching great moments between two great teams they like, but what about two weak teams that are 2-6 they do not like?

Yeah, it could be a great game, but people are so busy. That is why there are four million SportsCenters and different sports shows a day.

It is for people like me who would tune in everyday at 6 p.m. to get the latest stats and analysis so I can decide who I will play in my fantasy football, hockey or baseball leagues.

My friends and I loved betting on sports and honestly I can say the main reason I am so into sports now is because of gambling back in my youth.

A lot of sports history got jammed into my head in the last eight years just because of gambling.

Gambling spiked my interest and I know that does not apply to everyone, but I watched the Bengals play the Browns because of it, and it is not the first time I've done this.

Gambling is a double-edged sword that has to be watched carefully because it can hurt sports and at the same time help it.

With watching how much money I have spent and how much my friends throw down every weekend, it scares me that athletes have all that extra cash just lying around.

All it takes is them to give money to a friend to an underground bookie to make a gigantic bet on a game they know they will win.

If I were Kobe Bryant, I know it would be hard to turn down a chance for a huge payoff by making sure my team made the spread instead of blowing out a team they know they would kill.

Gambling is the abortion controversy of the sports world, and there is no right answer.

It can help sports and hurt it, and that is one bet I know is a sure thing.

- Shugar, a sophomore journalism major, claims to be just another clone with a take. If you have a take, please send an e-mail to him at ps198099.